French jihadists fighting in Syria still receive welfare benefit from the State

French jihadists fighting in Syria have been able to claim their unemployment benefits or family allowance from France to help fund Isis in Syria, according to Le Figaro.

Relatives of jihadists had been allegedly going to French employment centres to collect their family members’ monthly benefits, then transferring the funds abroad.

“Armed with their cards and photos, the parents were able to access the funding from the Unemployment Agency or the Family Allowances and send it to combat zones, mostly via Turkey,” an investigator tasked with looking into the illegal financing of Isis, told Le Figaro (translation by TheLocal.fr)

The Criminal Brigade in Paris and other European security services unearthed fraudulent welfare payments to jihadists totalling more than €2 million (£1.8 million) from Europe between 2012 and 2016. Some €500,000 came from France, The Telegraph reports.